Hello from Milan, Italy

[Skull_Kollektor]

Hello everyone,

Sorry I skipped this section and went straight away to the new bands thing because I was too eager to promote a song I put on youtube.

Please excuse me for doing that!

I am a very dedicated metalhead who just recently started a thrash project called - you guessed it - Skull Kollektor.

I pretty much like anything metal, from its origins in the late sixties, to 90's death metal, black metal and even power metal! But I mostly love thrash and traditional heavy metal (glam too)!

Thanks for having me here

 

Moderator note:  Link removed to band promotion (people will find your music when and if they are ready to, please keep all promotion out of the introductions thread)

Edited February 12, 2017 by MacabreEternal
Linking to Promotions section

[Parker]

Hello and welcome. What are some of your favorite metal bands?

[Skull_Kollektor]

Any heavy metal band from the 60's, 70's and 80''s.

Yes, I do believe each of these decades had its own heavy metal bands.

Yes, I do fancy calling heavy metal stuff like Cream, Mountain, High Tide, Bloodrock and the like.

Possibly my all time favourite are Kiss, Motorhead, Deep Purple, Dio, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. But, really, I love all the classic bands. Iron Maiden, Manowar, Saxon.

And I also love thrash too! From the mainstream stuff to the 80's cult bands such as Deathwish or Rigor Mortis or all those awesome Roadracer bands like Realm or Atrophy or Toxik.

And I must confess that I have a huge collection of glam metal as well... 

[BlutAusNerd]

Any heavy metal band from the 60's, 70's and 80''s.

Yes, I do believe each of these decades had its own heavy metal bands.

Yes, I do fancy calling heavy metal stuff like Cream, Mountain, High Tide, Bloodrock and the like.

Possibly my all time favourite are Kiss, Motorhead, Deep Purple, Dio, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. But, really, I love all the classic bands. Iron Maiden, Manowar, Saxon.

And I also love thrash too! From the mainstream stuff to the 80's cult bands such as Deathwish or Rigor Mortis or all those awesome Roadracer bands like Realm or Atrophy or Toxik.

And I must confess that I have a huge collection of glam metal as well... 

 

Well, if you hadn't mentioned the glam stuff, I probably would have said that you have great taste... [emoji12]

 

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[Skull_Kollektor]

Ahah thank you! I understand that extreme metal and glam don't share much... 

But there definitely is some quality and aggressive music to be found in the glam classics. I mean, back in 1983 Paul Baloff would have beaten the s**t out of any glam kid with a Ratt or a Quiet Riot shirt, but if you listen to stuff like "Red Hot" by Motley Crue or even "Sweet Cheater" from Ratt's first ep... man, those songs are fast and heavy... and competent too! There is a common ground, at least to my ears.

...you see, I love to listen to Angel Dust, Iron Angel, Assassin all the german bands (epsecially those from the infamous Ruhr area), but at the very same time I get great vibes from the worst of the sunset strip bands...

[BlutAusNerd]

Ahah thank you! I understand that extreme metal and glam don't share much... 

But there definitely is some quality and aggressive music to be found in the glam classics. I mean, back in 1983 Paul Baloff would have beaten the s**t out of any glam kid with a Ratt or a Quiet Riot shirt, but if you listen to stuff like "Red Hot" by Motley Crue or even "Sweet Cheater" from Ratt's first ep... man, those songs are fast and heavy... and competent too! There is a common ground, at least to my ears.

...you see, I love to listen to Angel Dust, Iron Angel, Assassin all the german bands (epsecially those from the infamous Ruhr area), but at the very same time I get great vibes from the worst of the sunset strip bands...

 

If they would have stuck to those more metal numbers, like Twisted Sister's Under the Blade or Skid Row's Slave to the Grind, it probably wouldn't be so reviled among most metal fans. The problem is that some of these bands could squeeze out some metal numbers like this, and then fuck them up with sappy ballads and being more concerned with image than songwriting. Especially considering the talent of many of the guitar players and vocalists of the era (David Coverdale did front Deep Purple Mk III after all), it seems like a case of potential squandered on commercially viable pop/hard rock and a fast paced lifestyle.

 

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[Skull_Kollektor]

Oh yeah, that is very true... Their attitude was... well, disputable to say the least (pun intended).

But then again, some 20/30 years later I only care about the music. If I were around back there, I am sure I would have antagonized the whole glam thing and stuck with proper metal. 

These days I marvel at stuff like Dokken's "Tooth and Nail" just as much as I marvel at, say, Exodus' "Metal Command"!

[FatherAlabaster]

Welcome. I'm big on DM,  but I've gotten into more thrash recently, and all of a sudden I've developed a taste for mid 80s "progressive heavy metal". Never opened up to glam.

[Skull_Kollektor]

5 minutes ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Welcome. I'm big on DM,  but I've gotten into more thrash recently, and all of a sudden I've developed a taste for mid 80s "progressive heavy metal". Never opened up to glam.

Cool! When it comes to mid 80's progressive I am not sure of what bands you are talking about. Do you mean those bands that sound like Queensryche?

If so, I am a huge fan of the Arch-fronted Fates Warning and the Midnight-fronted Crimson Glory! I kind of dig the Dominici-fronted Dream Theater too, but to a lesser extent.

Would you consider King's X as progressive in a way? I am not sure if they are and I am not sure if you can call them metal, but for Christ's sake were they different from everybody else at the time!

Or maybe you were referring to techno thrash (Watchtower, Toxik, Sieges Even, late Death Row) and progressive thrash like Voivod?

[FatherAlabaster]

2 minutes ago, Skull_Kollektor said:

Cool! When it comes to mid 80's progressive I am not sure of what bands you are talking about. Do you mean those bands that sound like Queensryche?

If so, I am a huge fan of the Arch-fronted Fates Warning and the Midnight-fronted Crimson Glory! I kind of dig the Dominici-fronted Dream Theater too, but to a lesser extent.

Would you consider King's X as progressive in a way? I am not sure if they are and I am not sure if you can call them metal, but for Christ's sake were they different from everybody else at the time!

Or maybe you were referring to techno thrash (Watchtower, Toxik, Sieges Even, late Death Row) and progressive thrash like Voivod?

I've always been a huge fan of early Queensryche, but I was put off by Fates Warning and Dream Theater, and didn't explore much with clean vocals for a long time. I very recently got totally hooked on the first two Crimson Glory albums and some Ray Alder-fronted Fates Warning, to my complete surprise. Something about Arch's voice still turns me off. I've never gotten around to listening to King's X.

[Skull_Kollektor]

As crazy as it may sound, I've never listened to anything Fates Warning put out after Arch was let go...

I shoud probably buy some of the Metal Blade reissues...

Those two CG albums are exceptional to say the least. Midnight had the best of the operatic voices. I'd put Lizzy Borden's concept album, "Master of Disguise", in that same league!

Also there was a band called Lethal whose debut, "Programmed", sounded like a meatier Queensryche! Highly recommended.

Should we mention the first two albums by Sanctuary as well? They were thrashier, but man, those high pitched vocals are like heaven to me!

[FatherAlabaster]

1 minute ago, Skull_Kollektor said:

As crazy as it may sound, I've never listened to anything Fates Warning put out after Arch was let go...

I shoud probably buy some of the Metal Blade reissues...

Those two CG albums are exceptional to say the least. Midnight had the best of the operatic voices. I'd put Lizzy Borden's concept album, "Master of Disguise", in that same league!

Also there was a band called Lethal whose debut, "Programmed", sounded like a meatier Queensryche! Highly recommended.

Should we mention the first two albums by Sanctuary as well? They were thrashier, but man, those high pitched vocals are like heaven to me!

Totally, don't know if I'd call Sanctuary "progressive" but I love Refuge Denied. Been over a decade since I listened to Into The Mirror Black. I also enjoy most of Nevermore's stuff, I love Warrel's voice even without the super-high notes. I've always been very picky about clean vocalists; Midnight has been blowing my mind. Even with those goofy as shit lyrics. I haven't heard of Lethal, I'll have to check them out. Another member recently turned me on to Hittman's self-titled debut, another band that owes a lot to early Queensryche.

The two Fates Warning albums that appeal to me the most right now are No Exit (thanks BAN) and Parallels. Parallels in particular sounds really familiar to me; I'm almost certain I heard and disliked it when it first came out. Funny how that happens! There's something about their songwriting and melodies that reminds me of early 80s Rush, not a bad thing at all in my book. 

[Parker]

1 hour ago, Skull_Kollektor said:

Any heavy metal band from the 60's, 70's and 80''s.

Yes, I do believe each of these decades had its own heavy metal bands.

Yes, I do fancy calling heavy metal stuff like Cream, Mountain, High Tide, Bloodrock and the like.

Possibly my all time favourite are Kiss, Motorhead, Deep Purple, Dio, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. But, really, I love all the classic bands. Iron Maiden, Manowar, Saxon.

And I also love thrash too! From the mainstream stuff to the 80's cult bands such as Deathwish or Rigor Mortis or all those awesome Roadracer bands like Realm or Atrophy or Toxik.

And I must confess that I have a huge collection of glam metal as well... 

I strongly object to calling 60s psychedelic/hard rock bands heavy metal. It is almost universally agreed that Black Sabbath were the first heavy metal band. I suppose it comes down to a matter of opinion, so I thought I'd state mine.

[Skull_Kollektor]

1 minute ago, Parker said:

I strongly object to calling 60s psychedelic/hard rock bands heavy metal. It is almost universally agreed that Black Sabbath were the first heavy metal band. I suppose it comes down to a matter of opinion, so I thought I'd state mine.

Sure, I absolutely respect your opinion!

I think every age has its own heavy metal style. I know that a lot of bands actually consider it offensive to be called "heavy metal". AC/DC are one of those.

To me Black Sabbath are to heavy metal what Jimi Hendrix means to the electric guitar. And Judas Priest are to heavy metal what Van Halen meant to the electric guitar.

None invented it, but both had a pivotal role in defining it and made quantum leap progress within the blues/rock and roll lexicon.

It's not like heavy metal suddenly and deliberately fell on Earth. It slowly evolved from the blues. I fondly remember an interview with either Glen or KK in which they stated that they did not realize the shift from playing straight blues, to progressive blues and then heavy metal! Just think about stuff like "Cheater" off Judas Priest's first record. It's a blues song, but you can tell that it features the blueprint of future Priest heavy metal classics. Just think about the covers that Priest recorded in the 70's: "Green Manalishi" by Fleetwood Mac, a band that started as an all-out traditional blues outfit; "Run with the Devil", a tune by Gun (not the scotsmen), a 60's band whose key players went on to play with Ginger Baker; "Better by You Better than Me", a track by Spooky Tooth, a psychedelic band that shared label and producer with Traffic (that producer actually also produced stuff by the Rolling Stones and Motorhead).

Also another important thing for me is that a certain song to be heavy metal does not need to be intentionally so! There is a lot of unintentional heavy metal out there. Which is something I look after and treasure! Why? Because unintentional heavy metal is PURE, spontaneous! Back then no record was heavy from start to end. Not a single one, not even Sabbath's. Heavy sounds were one of many colors that bands used to paint soundscapes.

Most people think I am an idiot when I call stuff like Thin Lizzy or The Sweet heavy metal... My girlfriend for one (who is a guitarist) hates me for that

16 minutes ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Totally, don't know if I'd call Sanctuary "progressive" but I love Refuge Denied. Been over a decade since I listened to Into The Mirror Black. I also enjoy most of Nevermore's stuff, I love Warrel's voice even without the super-high notes. I've always been very picky about clean vocalists; Midnight has been blowing my mind. Even with those goofy as shit lyrics. I haven't heard of Lethal, I'll have to check them out. Another member recently turned me on to Hittman's self-titled debut, another band that owes a lot to early Queensryche.

The two Fates Warning albums that appeal to me the most right now are No Exit (thanks BAN) and Parallels. Parallels in particular sounds really familiar to me; I'm almost certain I heard and disliked it when it first came out. Funny how that happens! There's something about their songwriting and melodies that reminds me of early 80s Rush, not a bad thing at all in my book. 

Thank you! Will definitely check out those two. "No Exit" was the one I had in mind, because I used to see it very often on the shelf of my go-to music store.

I know Hittman and I agree. There is also a christian band called Reckon (not too sure of the spelling actually) who featured a Tate-like singer.

[BlutAusNerd]

1 minute ago, Parker said: I strongly object to calling 60s psychedelic/hard rock bands heavy metal. It is almost universally agreed that Black Sabbath were the first heavy metal band. I suppose it comes down to a matter of opinion, so I thought I'd state mine.

Sure, I absolutely respect your opinion!

I think every age has its own heavy metal style. I know that a lot of bands actually consider it offensive to be called "heavy metal". AC/DC are one of those.

To me Black Sabbath are to heavy metal what Jimi Hendrix means to the electric guitar. And Judas Priest are to heavy metal what Van Halen meant to the electric guitar.

None invented it, but both had a pivotal role in defining it and made quantum leap progress within the blues/rock and roll lexicon.

It's not like heavy metal suddenly and deliberately fell on Earth. It slowly evolved from the blues. I fondly remember an interview with either Glen or KK in which they stated that they did not realize the shift from playing straight blues, to progressive blues and then heavy metal! Just think about stuff like "Cheater" off Judas Priest's first record. It's a blues song, but you can tell that it features the blueprint of future Priest heavy metal classics. Just think about the covers that Priest recorded in the 70's: "Green Manalishi" by Fleetwood Mac, a band that started as an all-out traditional blues outfit; "Run with the Devil", a tune by Gun (not the scotsmen), a 60's band whose key players went on to play with Ginger Baker; "Better by You Better than Me", a track by Spooky Tooth, a psychedelic band that shared label and producer with Traffic (that producer actually also produced stuff by the Rolling Stones and Motorhead).

Also another important thing for me is that a certain song to be heavy metal does not need to be intentionally so! There is a lot of unintentional heavy metal out there. Which is something I look after and treasure! Why? Because unintentional heavy metal is PURE, spontaneous! Back then no record was heavy from start to end. Not a single one, not even Sabbath's. Heavy sounds were one of many colors that bands used to paint soundscapes.

Most people think I am an idiot when I call stuff like Thin Lizzy or The Sweet heavy metal... My girlfriend for one (who is a guitarist) hates me for that [emoji3]

16 minutes ago, FatherAlabaster said: Totally, don't know if I'd call Sanctuary "progressive" but I love Refuge Denied. Been over a decade since I listened to Into The Mirror Black. I also enjoy most of Nevermore's stuff, I love Warrel's voice even without the super-high notes. I've always been very picky about clean vocalists; Midnight has been blowing my mind. Even with those goofy as shit lyrics. I haven't heard of Lethal, I'll have to check them out. Another member recently turned me on to Hittman's self-titled debut, another band that owes a lot to early Queensryche.

The two Fates Warning albums that appeal to me the most right now are No Exit (thanks BAN) and Parallels. Parallels in particular sounds really familiar to me; I'm almost certain I heard and disliked it when it first came out. Funny how that happens! There's something about their songwriting and melodies that reminds me of early 80s Rush, not a bad thing at all in my book. 

Thank you! Will definitely check out those two. "No Exit" was the one I had in mind, because I used to see it very often on the shelf of my go-to music store.

I know Hittman and I agree. There is also a christian band called Reckon (not too sure of the spelling actually) who featured a Tate-like singer.

 

I'm with you on the early heavy metal stuff. It doesn't have to be smoldering from start to finish to be heavy metal, and also, heavy metal wasn't created in a vacuum. Sabbath gets the most press for inventing it because they produced the longest string of heavy metal albums of the initial explosion, with bands like Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, Lucifer's Friend, Sir Lord Baltimore, and others either going into more rock oriented territory after their debut albums, or disbanding before making a solid career run.

 

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[Parker]

Sure, metal didn't come out of a vacuum, it did evolve. But just as in evolutionary biology, you have to put your finger at one particular place and say (maybe somewhat arbitrarily) this is where the new species begins. For me (and the majority of metal fans) that selected point is Black Sabbath's debut. There's nothing wrong with what came before, and plenty of it is fairly heavy, but I would call those earlier bands "fathers of metal" or "proto-metal." It's like the Ramones being the first punk band, there are many who trod a similar path before them (The Stooges, The Monks), but they were the turning point. I respect your opinion and see where you're coming from, but disagree.  

[Skull_Kollektor]

Now that we are talking about Black Sabbath... I think it shall be mentioned that Geezer Butler frequently mentions how that tritone riff was inspired by Gustav Holst's symphony, "The Planets" (the particular movement should be "Mars", if I am correct).

Well, we all know that Diamond Head used that movement as an intro for their song "Am I Evil" some 10 years later...

Maybe not exactly everyone knows that there was a UK band called Andromeda, which featured future Atomic Rooster/Bullet/Hard Stuff/Thin Lizzy guitar slinger John (Du) Cann, who had already recorded that very same intro in 1969 for the title track of their album "Return to Sanity":

Now, one thing that is of very HIGH interest to me is that later on, in 1970, about one month after Black Sabbath's firts record was released (and if memory serves, it was actually released 37 years ago TODAY, February the 13th), Andromeda and Black Sabbath shared the same stage! I wonder if their paths had crossed before...

I wonder who turned who onto Gustav Holst... Fact is that up until Andromeda recorded "Return to Sanity" (which features that bloody evil tritone), Black Sabbath were either going by the name of Polka Tulk or Earth (Blues Band)...

[deathstorm]

Welcome to the forum skull

[BlutAusNerd]

Sure, metal didn't come out of a vacuum, it did evolve. But just as in evolutionary biology, you have to put your finger at one particular place and say (maybe somewhat arbitrarily) this is where the new species begins. For me (and the majority of metal fans) that selected point is Black Sabbath's debut. There's nothing wrong with what came before, and plenty of it is fairly heavy, but I would call those earlier bands "fathers of metal" or "proto-metal." It's like the Ramones being the first punk band, there are many who trod a similar path before them (The Stooges, The Monks), but they were the turning point. I respect your opinion and see where you're coming from, but disagree.  

 

True, and that's as good of a place to start as any. They were hardly alone in heavy metal in 1970, but prior to that, nobody had really crossed that threshold, but many hinted at it and approached it.

 

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[RelentlessOblivion]

You could also place that marker at Judas Priest given they were the first to consider themselves heavy metal - their predecessors never embraced the label insisting they were rock bands. I know some metal fans do in fact say it started with Priest. I'm of the opinion Sabbath started the ball rolling and near fifty years later no signs of it slowing down.

[True Belief]

Welcome. Nice to see some Lizzy Borden love. A great voice that gets 'forgotten' and a really nice guy ( yes I've met him). Their last 2 albums also quite enjoyable.

 

 

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[Skull_Kollektor]

19 hours ago, BlutAusNerd said:

 

True, and that's as good of a place to start as any. They were hardly alone in heavy metal in 1970, but prior to that, nobody had really crossed that threshold, but many hinted at it and approached it.

 

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When it comes to sheer power of the guitar tone, a landmark is what High Tide achieved on their song "Futilist's Lament", from 1969's "Sea Shanties". Extreme, radical shit!

 

16 hours ago, True Belief said:

Welcome. Nice to see some Lizzy Borden love. A great voice that gets 'forgotten' and a really nice guy ( yes I've met him). Their last 2 albums also quite enjoyable.

 

 

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Thank you! Lizzy is great! You just reminded me that I never bought their latest album... But I do have all the others! "Deal With The Devil" is pretty good indeed, but my favorite is... "VISUAL LIES"! Many people despise it because it's kinda mellower, but I absolutely love it! Max Norman of Ozzy, Y&T and Megadeth fame (among others) did a terrific job with the production.

[Requiem]

There are a few glam/80s hard rock fans around here too believe it or not. 

I'll talk Warrant, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Skid Row, Def Leppard, Cinderella etc. I love that stuff! 

[Skull_Kollektor]

23 hours ago, Requiem said:

There are a few glam/80s hard rock fans around here too believe it or not. 

I'll talk Warrant, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Skid Row, Def Leppard, Cinderella etc. I love that stuff! 

Great! I also love that shit. I have about 600 of glam metal cd's. At some point I will have the whole American glam metal major discography, I am only missing a few rarities at the moment. Here is a quick list of 10 amazing albums by minor league (but still released on major label with at least one proper MTV friendly videoclip) hair metal bands:

Roxx Gang - "Things You've Never Done Before"

Babylon A.D. - "ST"

Royal Court of China - "Geared and Primed"

Bang Tango - "Psycho Café"

Bang Gang - "Love Sells"

Hericane Alice - "Tear the House Down"

Shark Island - "Law of the Order"

Junkyard - "ST"

Asphalt Ballet - "ST"

Baton Rouge - "Shake Your Soul"

 

[Requiem]

12 minutes ago, Skull_Kollektor said:

Great! I also love that shit. I have about 600 of glam metal cd's. At some point I will have the whole American glam metal major discography, I am only missing a few rarities at the moment. Here is a quick list of 10 amazing albums by minor league (but still released on major label with at least one proper MTV friendly videoclip) hair metal bands:

Roxx Gang - "Things You've Never Done Before"

Babylon A.D. - "ST"

Royal Court of China - "Geared and Primed"

Bang Tango - "Psycho Café"

Bang Gang - "Love Sells"

Hericane Alice - "Tear the House Down"

Shark Island - "Law of the Order"

Junkyard - "ST"

Asphalt Ballet - "ST"

Baton Rouge - "Shake Your Soul"

 

I don't know whether to be super excited or appalled. I'll go with... excited. That's amazing that you have that many glam CDs. I can't help thinking that there must be some absolute dross in there though... right? 

Bang Gang? Shark Island? Incredible names for bands hahaha. 

Just an incredible set of circumstances. Good luck getting the whole collection!